Radiata Stories: A Sense of Belonging
by PaulXion
Summary: Old story that i dug up in my computer  Jack suddenly found himself back to where he started after defeating the Ethereal Queen. Will he make things right with his new found chance or will he let the wheels of fate turn as they did?
1. There's a Restart Button?

**Chapter 1: There's a Restart Button?**

**(Solieu Village) (Russell's estate)**

"Ughh… damn it…" Jack Russell, the champion of the Fairy Creatures and the Dragon Warrior groaned in his sleep that night. "N… no… no… NO!" he stiffened and fell off his bed like a man on the roll.

He tumbled and rolled quickly turning his head around looking for the weapon that he dropped. But then he soon realized that he was not in the place he was supposed to be. "Wha? Where? Where am I?"

Again he took to his surrounding trying to find out what was going on. He recognized the room very well. It was his home in Solieu village. "Wait a second. This is… my home? But how? Was it a dream" he tried to recall the moment before he got here.

He remembered being in a strange tower that appeared in the middle of the Radiata. A tower that reached to the top of the sky like Babylon itself. Out of curiosity, Jack went there with a group of his comrades to discover that it was some kind of lair where dragons linger. The ordeal that the tower offered was great and only with his skill and cunning did Jack come through alive. By the time he arrived at the top of tower, his greatest challenge came to face him in the form of a goddess.

The Ethereal Queen…

The battle was painful and eerie and with little strength left, Jack and his comrades were utterly defeated. Gil was the first to fall followed by his friends Shin and Fan. In time only Jack remained standing against the goddess. Her strength was dominating and her powers made the dragons look like child's play.

But Jack's hardheadedness became his greatest weapon. Gathering what little strength remained in his body, he thrust himself into the open and pierced the Ethereal Queen through her ghostly heart. The queen let out of a deathly wail and her body faded when the life in Jack's body faded as well.

"What happened?" Jack asked himself as checked his body. To his surprise he was still wearing his pajamas which he threw away long ago. "That couldn't be a dream, can it? But wait… more importantly. I can't be here! If the villagers see me they'll kill me for sure!"

"Well aren't you a jumpy one"

Jack immediately got into his battle stance picking out his broom from the closet as a weapon. "Who's there!" but when he looked back he didn't need to ask.

It's true that she may have taken the form of a younger girl, but you couldn't fool Jack. He recognized that white hair, tan skin and yellow cat eyes. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that this was the being that he fought in the Abyss of Time. "You!"

"Well whadaya know. You recognized me after all" the child replied in a coyly manner. "That's a surprise"

"You! What have you done! What are you doing here!"

"Relax Jack. I come in peace" the Ethereal Princess stated waving her index finger in front of him. "I already lost when you killed me in the tower"

"The tower? So it really is you! But why are you here?"

"Huh?" she gave out a confused look. "What's wrong? Didn't I grant your wish?"

"My wish?"

"Didn't you read the tapestries outside my room before you came in?" the ghost stated looking a bit dejected. "For the love of mercy. You humans are impossible. I thought that you of all people should know of the game!"

"Game?" Jack questioned.

"Yeah the game! What the hell are those gods doing! Are you saying that they stopped sponsoring my game already! I am so gonna kick their asses when I get back!"

"What are you talking about?"

The Ethereal Queen groaned. Her mind was still fizzy since she just came back from the dead. The scar on her chest was still a clear sign that she was defeated. "Allow me to explain. I am Etha, The Ethereal Queen of time and space. I was created by the gods a millennia ago to be a balance of power. You've probably seen the inside and outside of my tower personally. You could say I was the game proctor and every fifty years, my tower would rise up from the same spot to grant the mortals my power. Of course as a game, it gives out several challenges to the customer"

"Yeah, so?"

"Sooo? The winner of the game would immediately be granted one wish and congratulations Jack Russell. You're the first winner of the game"

"Then what about Gil and the other fairies with me?"

"They're probably in the City of Flowers" Etha replied not looking a bit surprised of his reaction. "But I do have to say, your wish is a strange one"

"My wish? Wait, what was my wish?"

"Don't you remember?" Etha pointed out. "The wish you wanted when you entered my tower"

Jack thought back and remembered everything completely. When he first entered the tower of time the first thought that ran through his mind was: I wish I could do things all over again. It was a wish that he made on his own life but he never thought it would be granted.

"Then that means…"

"Bingo! That's right boyo!" Etha smiled. "I turned back time for you! Congratulations and thank you for playing the game! I hope you enjoy your reward! Please play again in your next life ne?"

"Hold on!" Jack snapped. "If what you're saying is true. Then where am I?"

"How should I know? I only granted your wish. The rest is up to you kiddo. I'm just in here for the ride"

"In for the ride?" again Jack showed a puzzled face.

"Oh right. Seeing that you're the winner of the game. I'm supposed to follow you until my power returns. Besides you should take responsibility of what you did to me. You did kill me after all"

"Eh?" Jack was now fumbling when the girl approached him. "What do you mean by… responsibility?"

"Oh come now. Don't say that you're not attracted to my body" Etha licked her lips and smiled slyly at the boy. Jack would've attacked but to his surprise he dropped the broom and placed his back on the wall. Etha got close and slowly with her silky hands did she unbutton his pajamas. She stared at Jack's perfectly well done body. Even though time returned, his body somehow remained the same. There were muscles on muscles and his abs looked so well made that it looked like it was forged by the fires of hell itself.

"Wow… it's been awhile since I've seen a man with such… caliber. You look soooo… delicious" she licked his chest and grabbed both of his hands. Jack showed signs of resistance but soon surrendered to the Queen's indomitable touch.

And in that very night, the sleeping villagers of Solieu village would be drowned with the sound of pleasurable moans of their soon to be knight.


	2. The Return of the Dragon Warrior

**Chapter 2: The Return of the Dragon Warrior**

Jack awoke in a very painful manner that morning. He remembered that night well. All the licking and stuff was pretty much burned in his mind as a permanent memory. He could hear his sister calling outside which could only mean one thing. The experience he had last night was no illusion. Time had indeed reset.

When he looked to the side of his small bed he can see the small figure of the younger Ethereal Queen lying next to him, with a happy smile plastered on her face. Quickly his mind began to panic and with his quick reflex he covered the girl with his blanket and leaped out to greet Adele with a wide eye smile. Indeed he felt rather awkward when he left his house usually when he came to his village the villagers would attack him on sight along with several other Radiatan soldiers. The village had become a small fort in a way but looking at it now it seemed like battle was not far off.

When he left the village for the Knight's Trial, Etha followed him through the fields of Radiata encountering bandits and wild animals along the way.

"This isn't good" Jack grunted as he pulled his sword out of a dead bear-squirrel. "I have all the techniques and tricks in my head but my body isn't as strong as it's supposed to be eight months from now"

"Well you did go back in time. Your body didn't lose all of its traits" his companion smirked. "I tried to bring you back completely but since you and I died almost at the exact same time, it was kind of hard"

"I'm still a bit stronger than what I was before but still…" he looked at his poorly made sword with a heavy sigh. "I can't believe I actually used this thing as a weapon. It feels more like Parsec's toothpick than a weapon. Maybe I can find a better one in Radiata. I might be able to find better clothing too" he looked at himself wearily. After wearing plate armor and shields for so long in battle he felt a bit exposed without at least a small metal padding protecting his shoulder.

"Oh but Jackie" Etha cooed seductively at him. "You look pretty good in that outfit"

"Don't even get any weird ideas" he warned. "I'm only here because this is an opportunity. I won't squander it like I did back in my pass life"

"Wow. Aren't you a mature one?"

The walk to Radiata city was a quiet one except for the constant increase in monsters prowling the area. When Jack arrived at the gates of the city, he flinched at the sight of the guards and patrol that came his way. He fought many of them during the Human-Elf war and he didn't want to remember it one bit.

He walked pass the Theater Vancoor and smiled quietly to its sword-like insignia. There were plenty of precious memories here and many of them included fighting and singing both inside and outside the guild. He walked pass the bridge that was supposedly his second home and smiled at the Cathedral at the distance. So many memories all dashed away by a single choice he made for himself. Even now, the pain lingered. The only thing pushing him forward was the thought that he could make a better world for everyone.

Jack thought that he could get himself a new weapon or armor when he got back but sadly he didn't have the money to buy them. With the allowance his sister, Adele gave him, he could barely even spend it to buy himself a good pair of shoes. The only thing he could get was a good breakfast at Begin Eatery where Yuri worked in. Jack remembered her well since he worked for her a couple of times during his stay in the Warriors Guild. She also makes the best steamed beef soup and salted pork in all of Radiata.

"My compliments to the chef" Etha smirked childishly as she gorged through the food that Jack ordered. "It's been awhile since I tasted human delicacy"

"You should try other places too" Jack offered showing a smile for the first time in hours. "This is usually where the Warrior Guild members eat but the restaurant up by the slums and the Vampire Club House has some tasty stew"

"Great! You can treat me there next"

Jack gave a 'no way' face. "Not a chance. I'm only treating you now for what you did to me. But if you're gonna eat then you're gonna have to work"

"Awww… then I guess I'll have to earn my keep the old fashion way then" she gave a suggestive smile which Jack immediately began blushing on. Images of the previous night gave him the goose bumps and now this succubus was following with his every move. It almost felt like he had a slave following everywhere he goes.

"No… way!" he barked out quietly before leaving a tip on the table for Yuri to collect later. The girl in the counter was puzzled how the boy knew her name but wasn't able to ask when he left.

But Etha kept her smile on. The boy had his qualities and it was certain that her life wouldn't be so boring with him around.

After their breakfast, Jack made his way to the castle to attend the knight's trial. It's been awhile since he grasped the full size of the keep. Back when he was still with the non-humans, Jack had always thought that the siege on the castle would be impossible. The castle was built like a fort and there was no way an army can breach through it with simple means. Heck, even a blood orc would sweat buckets before he could even break the doors open. Attacking that thing head on was like trying to crack a turtle shell with your bare hands. With literally hundreds of guards and knights patrolling it and tight hallways, a siege was impossible.

"Stop right there" the fully armored guard held his hand up. "What's your business here?"

"I'm Jack Russell" the boy stated proudly trying not to put too much of an act. "And I'm here to compete in the Knight's Trial" he held out his invitation which the guard inspected properly before nodding.

"Alright. Everything looks clean. The Trial Grounds will be held at the basement of the castle. I'll have a guard escort you there. However, your friend will have to stay outside for the time being"

"Aww no fair!" Etha snapped annoyingly. "I want to see Jackie fight!"

"Sorry Etha but rules are rules" Jack replied triumphantly. A part of him wanted to ditch the girl away but his right side of his principles seemed to have gotten him. "Here, you can use the rest of my allowance from Adele for now. You can explore the rest of the town while I'm doing the trial. We'll meet at the Theater Vancoor plaza by the fountain later tonight. Ok?"

"Fine…" she grunted but solemnly agreed to it.

With every step Jack took, his heart raced faster and faster. It reminded him of the first time he walked down these halls. He was a naïve kid with ideals that would change the world. But he lacked power then. Power to bring those ideals to fruition. But at the moment none of his ideals matter. His heart was racing because of a different purpose.

When the door to the waiting room opened, his heart stopped.

There… sitting on the bench calm as a leaf in a meadow, eyes closed in meditation, hair tied up into a cute pigtail and her war axe sitting next to her… was Ridley Silverlake.

"Ridley…" Jack muttered her name. He wanted to cry, hold her and hug her like it was the last time he was ever gonna see her. But he kept his seams together. Right now, she does not know of him. She doesn't even know that he existed.

"Lord Star, please come up to the coliseum!" the announcer's voice came in through the door. Immediately the man with a long mustache stood and walked to the arena.

If Jack's mind served him well then he knows that this match will short live. He sat on the bench opposite of Ridley. His eyes kept darting to her. He wanted to see her so badly. He wanted to talk to her and see her smile once again. The memories of that night they shared at the Rosen Tree flooded back to him. If only… if only they had more time together and if a war had not brought on, Jack believed that they would probably be on their first date by now. They would be watching the ocean or having dinner in one of the fancy restaurants in town. So many thoughts ran through his head and he wished with all his might that some of them would come true.

"Jack Russell, Ridley Silverlake, please step over to the arena!"

Jack flinched back hearing his name. He knew that the fight would be quick but it looked like his thoughts made him lose track of time.

Upon entering the arena, Jack saw Lord Larks, the prime minister of Radiata consultant of the knights and his soon to be captain, Ganz Rothchild by his side. He smiled but kept himself focused on the fight. He compared himself with Ridley at that moment. Right now, her skills were probably way superior to his own since her body was trained to perfection since birth but his experience in combat was on a different scale than any knights in the castle.

Jack then looked at his poorly made sword and compared it with Ridley's killer axe. It looked like he was trying to fight a lion with a toothpick.

"Are both fighters ready?" The two of them nodded. "Then with no further ado, FIGHT!"

Ridley immediately went into a defensive stance waiting for Jack to strike first. But to her surprise, the commoner boy simply stood there, his sword still in his hand. Both did not move. They simply stood there watching… waiting for the right moment to strike. A battle of wits and psychology ensued.

"Uh? Hello?" the announcer asked. "Didn't you hear me? I said…"

"It's alright Juzanburo" Larks waved him off. "They know what they're doing. Both of them knows that attacking head on without knowing their opponent's strength is foolhardy"

"A most excellent beginning I must say" Ganz agreed folding his arms together. "But it's hard to say who will move first"

Both soon to be knights walked around in circles, their eyes still not leaving their opponent. Ridley looked like an untamed lion just waiting to strike out at any moment but Jack looked like a calm bird, hovering patiently above her.

…tap…

A rock piece shifted.

The two knights charged. "HAAAAAAAAAAARGHHH!" their weapons clashed making a rather loud clang sound. They danced with each other in a melody of blades and rhythm. Ridley waved her axe with great accuracy and strength but her knight's training seemed to have limited her imagination in using its full potential. Jack saw each of her attacks and parried them with grace. The two warriors traded blows for a short while quickly earning the attention of the other contestants.

However Jack began to notice his weapon was breaking apart. He knew that Ridley's battleaxe was powerful but he never imagined that it was strong enough to break his weapon. He made a quick note to himself to request another sword from the armory later.

The blows came one after another like a hammer striking on an ingot of iron forging the sword. With each attack, Ridley's movements began to become more and more predictable. Jack had to admit that any low grade or even a mid-grade knight would not have been a match for her. She was trained from birth to become a knight so it was obvious that she would be this talented.

The fight went on with Jack constantly being on the defense and Ridley constantly pounding his barrier with her attacks.

_"He's not attacking" _Ridley thought to herself before landing another blow. _"Is he trying to wear me down so he can finish me off? I'm not surprised seeing that he has the advantage in mobility. But still… why? Why can't I hit him? My blows should've broken through his block but he can predict where my next attack will come next. And why is he looking at me like that? His eyes… seem so… sad and happy at the same time"_

Jack noticed the girl's hesitation and knew what she was going to do next. Her ultimate attack.

"Wild Pitch!"

Ridley threw her axe with immense force and accuracy that it even blew wind in the area. But Jack knew this technique well. He's seen it before and got whooped by it once and that mark still remained a painful one on his chest. But not this time. He brought up his damaged sword up to his body and braced himself. The attack made contact and his sword broke in half like a man stepping on a twig. The damage done by such a powerful blow was incredible for the spectators to say the least. They expected Jack to be unconscious by it but to their surprise, the boy remained standing and Ridley's Axe was in his hands.

Immediately the young Silverlake stood in awe. She had spent years perfecting that technique and now this boy came out from the countryside just caught it with perfect movement. "No way…"

"Damn… it looks like my body wasn't ready for that kind of punishment" Jack muttered happily to himself looking over his broken sword and the axe now in his hand. His guard broke but he could still fight_. "Looks like my body reverted back to its old self too. If I made moved a second slower, I would've been blown away like before"_ he looked to Ridley who seemed to be ready for a fight. Even without a weapon she was still prepared to face any foe. "I guess I'll have to throw this match…"

"Nice one… Ridley…" was the last thing Jack said before tossing his sword to the ground, a happy smile on his face to see the woman he loved still breathing.

**(Olacion Cathedral)**

The priests and nuns of the Olacion Order were very much surprised that afternoon when a visitor came down to look at their castle for the day. There were many people who came to visit the cathedral on a daily basis sure but the visitor they had today seemed odd even for them.

"Young lady stop that!" Achilles, the bodyguard of lord Kain was panicking when Etha came in and started acting like a major delinquent. "Stop! Those are ceremonial bread, not food! (gulp) Ahhh! Not the ceremonial wine too! That thing is almost impossible to get around the city!"

"Nyahahahaha! This place is so much fun!"

"No! Young lady! You shouldn't be taking a bath with our pool of holy water!"

"Mwahahaha!"

"Somebody stop that girl before she gets to Anastasia's room! (EEEEEEEEKKKKK!) Oh great"

"Master Achilles! The gold that Ms. Anastasia collected are…" Flora gasped.

"I know…" the fist fighter groaned as he could hear the screams echoing throughout the cathedral. Anastasia was barking out at someone but seemed to be unable to cope with the situation.

"What do we do?"

Achilles groaned and could only look at the altar of the gods. "We should probably pray and say that we had nothing to do with it"

"But…"

"We had nothing to do with it!"


	3. The Rose Cochon Brigade

**Chapter 3: The Rose Cochon Brigade**

Jack was led to his room later that afternoon at the basement of the castle with his bunkmate Leonard. He was glad to see the old pops but kept himself cool and acted professionally, not even complaining about the condition of his room. By the time he got into his knight's trainee outfit he had to agree that he really did look like the little lord. If only he had a room to boast he would really look like a young lord himself. A prince of the castle if one would boldly say.

"Well now, who looks like the little lord?" Leonard chuckled. "The outfit somehow suits you"

"You think?" Jack smirked knowing well what he meant. The suit did fit him for some strange reason. It was like there was a soft glow around him that made him look like a noble than a knight trainee. "Thanks for helping me put it on Leonard. Getting this thing was such a pain"

"Hey no prob kiddo. We bunkmates need to stick together"

"No kidding. Well I should probably get off to the meeting room soon. I don't think they'll like it if I'm late for my first meeting" but inside, Jack was mentally kicking himself. _"That reminds me. I also have to find Etha too. I hope she isn't causing trouble around town"_

The landscape of the castle was pretty much built in Jack's head. He got lost in this castle so many times back then. Soon enough he arrived at the meeting room but to his surprise, Ridley had just arrived herself. Their paths met and quickly did their eyes connect. "Oh… it's you" she muttered, her hand paused to the door handle.

Jack's heart melted. To hear her words directed at him seemed to have brought unbelievable joy to him. But he had to play it cool. Going all out now would only make an unwanted scene for both himself and Ridley. Forcing a smile on his face he yelled out. "Hey there Ridley. It looks like you and I are in the same brigade after all. I guess that's congratulation to both of us huh?"

Ridley didn't reply. She simply gave a blank look and walked in the meeting room, trying her best not to crack her face.

"Hmm… I guess I made a wrong impression there" Jack muttered to himself sadly before following after her.

The briefing went by smoothly with no actual problems. Jack had to pinch captain Ganz again which he took pleasure in doing. The mission was the same as last time in the boy's past life. A dwarf merchant cart was making its way to the city but it required escort to town. But even though they were in the briefing, the boy kept his gaze at Ridley.

"Oh that reminds me Jack" Ganz suddenly called out to the boy. "I acquired a sword for you from the armory a few hours ago. Since your previous sword was destroyed during the trial I thought that you might need a new one. Go on take it" he pulled out a smaller sword from the side of the briefing table and handed it over to Jack. It was a standard sword that the guards of the castle use. Nothing fancy but not weak either. Perfect for beginners.

"Wow… thanks Captain. With the money I have, it's hard just to get a meal around here"

"There's no need to worry about food when you're with me" the well rounded man laughed. "Now let's be off shall we? If we leave now we can make it to the Earth Valley before sundown"

"Right behind you captain" Jack followed suit, awaiting the moment to be called into service again. "Hey Ridley, you coming?"

The girl was brought out of her trance only to realize that she was being left behind. "Oh uh… yes. I'll be with you" she let out a sigh when Jack left the room. She wanted to give something to him but it seemed like Ganz beat her to it. She held on her hand, a sword wrapped in a soft leather cloth. It was the blade her mother gave her when she first became a knight and it held well on its own. "Oh well… I guess he won't be needing this anymore"

**(Radiata)**

When Ganz and his brigade arrived at Lupus gate they were greeted by a familiar face that Jack recognized. "Hey there everyone"

"Clive!" Jack exclaimed excitingly remembering the young monk in training and his first friend in the city. "It's great to see you again!"

He gave the young priest a hug which he accepted with a questionable glance. "Why that's mighty kind of you, good sir. If there were more people like you, we could probably have world peace by now"

Jack immediately caught his own mistake and smiled embarrassingly to himself. Not only did Ridley and Ganz forgot who he was but all of his friends as well. "Oh… sorry about that I guess I got too emotional"

"Master Clive will be accompanying us to the Earth Valley" Ganz explained to them. "He has a good relation there with some of the dwarves so we might be able to use his connections for entry"

"Glad to be of service, everyone" the airheaded priest nodded. "So uh… where are we headed?"

"Still the same old airhead" Jack laughed, a teardrop rolling down his face. He remembered fighting with Clive once outside the city during the war but that memory felt so distant now.

**(Earth Valley)**

The trip to the Earth Valley was a smooth one per say. The monsters that patrolled the area were all but small fries to Jack and his companions. Whether it was just a normal bandit or a monster they stood no chance against the power of the trio (excluding Clive of course). But as they kept their march onward towards the valley, Ridley began to notice Jack's constant stare. He would steal glances to her at times and without even looking she could still feel his eyes on her. The look he gave was not lust or jealousy or admiration that she usually receives by her parents, but rather more of caring and longing.

She also noticed how quickly he became friends with Clive. During their walk to the valley, they would throw jokes at one another and play silly child games from time to time. They even went as far as playing 'I spy with my little eye' with Clive always choosing rock as his answer.

But Jack obeyed orders very well. He listened to Ganz and followed his instructions to the letter. Sometimes he would know what the captain would order and proceed to it before the captain could order him. The boy was a skilled fighter and perhaps even more experienced than herself. Ridley also began to wonder if Jack had a better blade during the trial, there was a good chance that he would've won fair and square as well.

By the time they arrived to the city of the dwarves they were greeted by Gonovitch, the dwarf leader who sat on his golden throne. Their conversation was short and brief but Jack had already got the gist of it. The shipment wasn't ready yet so they had time to kill around.

Jack took his time looking around town noticing all the dwarves in the area and remembering the few faces he fought alongside with during the war. He hoped that he would not have to repeat that incident all over again.

"Hey…" the boy spun around surprised to see Ridley of all people calling him.

"Ridley? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to wait with the captain"

"I thought I came to see the Earth Valley for myself" she lied. In truth she actually wanted to talk to Jack about something.

"Well there's a lot to see around here I can give you a tour if you want" Jack motioned to the mountains. "The place is actually quite beautiful during sunset. If you go up top by the hill overlooking the city, the view is probably the best! Also, the mines are full of monsters so I wouldn't recommend going in there. The wine here is also supposed to be good compared, at least that's what the guards by the gate said"

"You sure know a lot about a lot of things"

Jack mentally cursed himself for letting the slip of the tongue go. His knowledge of other places had been his best quality after all and since remembering places was essential to his survival he had to make sure he had the lay of land imprinted in his head. "Well. Let's just say I was a bit of a traveler back when I was a kid. Going around other places and stuff"

"Oh… I see"

But while they remained there, overlooking the miners tend to their duties, Jack couldn't help but remember the time when the knights drove the dwarves to slavery. It was a horrible sight that time with much death and destruction. It only seemed fitting that this world earned another chance of redemption. But even though time had reset itself, Jack couldn't forget the sins that the humans brought upon the world. All that trouble just because of a little misunderstanding.

The time when Jack visited the Earth Valley after the knights had withdrawn, there were blood almost everywhere. Pools of blood would drip at the wooden floors and creaky doors filled with corpses were abundant.

"Jack?" Ridley's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "What's the matter? You look like you were out of it"

"Oh sorry… I guess I was just daydreaming" he lied but decided to keep his future to himself. "But if you ever want to see the sights of Earth Valley or any place for that matter, I'm your man"

"I'll keep that in mind" Ridley chuckled slightly which she hid from him. "But anyway… we should probably get back to the captain. The shipment should already be ready for us"

And to her truth, the shipment of goods and supplies was ready for them. When Jack exited the town the goat drawn cart was in sight along with Captain Ganz and Clive who were conversing with the driver.

"Ah! Jack! Ridley! Excellent timing as always" Ganz praised them. "We were just about ready to depart. We will be returning to Radiata castle through the same path we came. However, we'll be taking a detour through the northern area for awhile"

"Through the falcon gate" Jack added earning a nod from his captain. "The place is less populated with monsters and there's an outpost there as well. Not to mention the small farm along the way"

"Yes indeed" the captain stated proudly, impressed of the boy's knowledge of the outlying lands of the kingdom. "My word, Jack. It seems like your knowledge of this land will be an immense help to us. We really should have more people like you in the army"

"Hehe… well… I travel a lot" while the boy rubbed his head embarrassed by the captain's compliments he failed to notice the strange look he was getting from Ridley. It was not jealously or anything but rather, admiration.

Their travel to Radiata was pleasant at best with Jack quickly remembering the goblin trio that ambushed them last time. They had a few run in with the local monsters and bandits in the area but nothing the brigade could not handle. Upon returning to the castle, Ganz escorted the cargo in while the rest of the brigade went their separate way.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well looks like that's it for us" Jack stated watching the captain leave with the dwarf.

"Indeed" Clive nodded in agreement. "That wasn't much of a journey but it was a lot of fun. Hope we get to work together again Jack. I'd better get back to the Cathedral. My pay should be waiting there"

"Cool! You're going to the cathedral?" Jack exclaimed excitingly. "Can I tag along? I haven't seen that place for ages"

"No prob. I'll even give you the grand tour of the place. I think Master Kane will be giving a sermon around this time. If we're lucky we'll catch him while he's still there"

"Great! Hey Ridley, wanna tag along? The cathedral's a cool place. It's not as big as the palace but a lot prettier on the inside"

The blonde knight blushed at first and wanted to say yes but she stopped momentarily when she heard a rather familiar voice coming from behind. The trio looked over and saw her father. Lord Janse Colton…


	4. A Brief Respite

**Chapter 4: A Brief Respite**

"Father" Ridley ushered the short red nosed man who approached them. That was obviously Lord Janse Colton, the girl's doting father. Jack recognized him almost instantly since he was pretty much the one who forced them out of knighthood in his past life. Sometimes Jack wondered how a man like Janse actually became Ridley's father. It was a mystery for science-fiction writers to argue about…

"Ridley. Thank goodness. I heard that you've returned and rushed here immediately" the midget man stated looking pleasingly at his daughter's safety. "Come. Tell me everything that happened on your first mission. This I have to hear"

Ridley looked to her companion before darting back to her father. "Sorry father, but I have businesses to attend at the moment. Though our first mission has succeeded we still need to report to Lord Larks. Perhaps another time. Come on Jack"

The boy in question pointed to himself a little puzzled but remembered that they still needed to unpack their basket before they could call it a day. He remembered that joke quite well since he was the one who brought it up in his past life. "Huh? Oh yeah. Sure thing" he turned to Clive with an apologetic face. "Maybe next time Clive. Looks like we still have to unpack the basket before I can free myself"

"Hey no problem there" the priest nodded happily with his goofy smile as ever. "I'll be happy to pack a picnic basket for all of us next time. I'll even bring some of my friends along for the trip. Who knows? Maybe even Vitas might join up for a little snack ahehehe"

"Sure. Can't wait" and with that Jack and Ridley departed following their captain into the castle. Jack avoided all eye or physical contact is Lord Janse since he knew that he would be the least liked by him. The guy could be very protective of his daughter but I guess that was understandable through a father's point of view.

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The duo later arrived at Lord Lark's office at the top of the castle. Jack was glad of the wind powered elevator since he hate to walk up the stairs over and over. The meeting went as usual with Captain Ganz giving the prime minister the letter from the Dwarf King of the increase of price in the Earth Valley. Jack stood at attention but Ridley simply stood there while her train of thoughts went awry. It was true that they weren't necessarily needed to report back to the prime minister directly but she needed an excuse. Anything was better than going it over with her father.

After the debriefing was done, the group was dismissed and Jack was allowed to roam the castle once more but was not allowed to leave in case of an emergency. He quickly returned to the basement floor of the castle. A part of him wanted to sleep and end the day but then a part of him thought that he could do so much more.

The former-or-soon-to-be-dragon-knight decided to take a little stroll looking around the castle and see what the place had to offer. He visited the shop on the ground floor and quickly remembered Leonard's gift for his precious Natalie. The boy took a peek at the present and saw a lovely brooch neatly wrapped in a colorful box tied with a ribbon that expressed the 'I love you' feeling. "Boy… I have a hard time wondering if Pops is a hopeless romantic… or simply hopeless…"

He took the present and left it in his room by his bunkmate's bed and quickly made his way towards the training room where it was mostly populated by the knights of today. But it was sparsely crowded and only a few knights were present to hone their skills. Jack saw Nina and Charlie and a few nameless soldiers ducking their shifts in this place.

"Wow… talk about a hopeless crowd" the boy had hoped that someone here would wish to train with him so he can regain the strength that he lost during his time travel experience. "Well I guess I'll have to do this by myself" he walked up to the dummy weapons rack and picked one of each weapon. He remembered all the skills he had during his time fighting with the Radiatan Knights during the human and non-human war and learned the hard way that if he was to survive he needed to kill.

Grabbing an empty field for himself, the boy began practicing with his chosen weapons throwing swings and piercing maneuvers like it was reflex. He grabbed his favored one-hand swords first and practiced his moves on an unsuspecting dummy.

Nina ignored the boy as much and continued swinging her blade like any REAL knight would do. Her skills were no match to those who went on the field but her determination far surpassed most. But just as she was swinging her blade she began to feel an ominous heat coming from Jack. She took a moment's rest to look at the rookie knight expecting him to be swinging like a complete amateur but instead her eyes widened when she saw how he was practicing.

Woosh!

A swing of his blade was clear and precise. Just by a wave of his hand it almost felt like he was cutting the air in two. She stared and heard the boy counting his swings up to fifty before switching to the spear and then the two-handed blade. With each strike he made, Jack's body became more accurate. He directed all of his strength into the swing and let the weight of the weapon do the rest. A masterful swing if one would be so bold to say.

Even Charlie who was observing Jack from afar was rather mellowed by the sweat on his brow.

"Gah! No good" Jack thought to himself after exhausting his arms to the swinging of heavier weapons like the axe and bastard sword. "My body in this time isn't used to all this training. I doubt I could even do a volty attack with my level of strength. Maybe I should just focus on using the smaller weapons until I'm ready"

But his train of thought quickly ended when Nina spoke up. "Hey you there"

"Huh? Oh hey Nina. (Eh?) Oh… I mean, yes, what is it?" Jack kicked himself for the umph time falling for the time travel gig over and over again.

Nina scanned the boy's figure and saw that he was no taller or more muscular than the men she's seen in the training room but as a swordsman she could tell that the boy was a far superior fighter than all of them combined. "How do you do that? (Huh?) Those swings and cuts you did. How do you do them?"

"My swings? Well I guess I practiced a lot from where I came from. Nothing big. Why?"

The young female knight looked around and saw the training room empty. "No reason. It's just that… they look… different from the others. Like they're more focused. (Ahehehe) Wanna spar with me?"

Jack didn't refuse. "If you're up to the challenge… I'm more than ready"

The two warriors took their respective place on the training circle with Charlie gladly going out of his way to cheer the boy from his corner. Nina was excited to finally meet a man who wasn't afraid to harm a girl and prepared her long heavy blade up to her torso.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Haaaa…" Ridley sighed in her room that afternoon looking rather bored. It has already been a few hours since she reported her mission to Lord Larks and now after returning to her luxurious room on the upper floors of the castle she felt a bit… down. At first she thought to kill some time reading some of the books that piled up during her training days but after the first two or three pages it became rather dull. The mission she had this morning was perhaps the only excitement she had the whole year. It was quite fun being in the mission even though nothing really serious happened. It was the first time she experienced that lax freedom.

For Jack however… it seemed like he had been living a life of relaxation his whole life. The boy was experienced that much she could tell but it also seemed like he enjoyed life to the fullest. During their mission she also noticed how the boy grew close to her Captain and how he casually interacts with him like he was his best friend. Perhaps it was the commoner's blood in him that separated him from the rest.

Unable to focus on her book anymore the girl decided to get some fresh air around the castle instead. All the while her thoughts darted to Jack, her fellow knight companion.

She had to admit that boy was a strange one. For one thing, he didn't treat her like a noble or a high ranking knight but just as another person. Jack was kind, somewhat honest and had a good heart to boot. Though he acted a bit childish at times he had this mature side which often appeared when they're in battle.

"Lady Ridley?" her thoughts died out quickly when she noticed herself in the castle basement during her aimless walk. She looked to her side and saw that she was in front of Jack's room and Leonard was coming out the door with a puzzled face. "What are you doing here?" Indeed… what was she doing here?

"I was…" she began with a stutter stopping momentarily when she noticed a gift box on Leonard's hand.

Leonard knew this and quickly hid it behind him blushing all the while. "What? Oh this? This is umm… nothing ahahahaha! It's just a gift to my… uh… mom! Yeah my mom. She's uh… she's um… sick at home so I… I thought that I'd cheer her up! Yeah!"

"O… k…?" Ridley raised a brow.

"Well I gotta go and send this to the post office. Wouldn't wanna keep my mom waiting ahehehehehe" Leonard thought quickly on his feet. "Anyway. If you're looking for Jack I think he went to the training room for a little exercise. BYE!" and without even waiting for a reply the man was off leaving the young knight trainee waving an empty goodbye.

Ridley followed the man's directions and headed towards the training room expecting Jack to be there but instead what she saw surprised her. Jack was there and he was sparing.

"HYAAAA!" the boy's blade smashed against Nina's giant sword creating a rhythmic sound that echoed through the whole room. It was a one sided fight at best with Jack doing most of the attack with quick clear strikes on his opponent. Nina, who has only been given a chance to strike twice could barely even match against Jack's prowess and was forced into a defensive stance. Her huge blade doubled as a shield protecting her from his attacks. But Jack's blows were unimaginably hard that she had to take a step back with every hit.

"Come on Nina. Don't tell me that's all you've got. You're gonna have to do better if you want to catch up with Natalie" He taunted earning a glare from the female knight.

"Don't look down on me just because you have the advantage. I still got plenty more where… that came from" Her banter only seems to tire her even further. It was an empty threat but she was prepared to fight to the bitter end. "Here I come!"

Jack switched to his defense mode and blocked her attacks with relative ease. Heck he didn't even need to block, Nina was too tired to even throw a proper swing. He simply sidestepped her blows and moved around like vulture readying to strike. "Alright Nina. Let's end this" he readied his blade to his chest and grinned while Nina reverted back to her shield stance. Ridley watched intensely upon arrival and saw something different about Jack.

His movements were smoother, unlike their initial fight that they had yesterday during the knight's trial. If anything… he began to glow as if he was one of the stars in the sky. He had an amazing feel and the wind around him seemed to have stopped as if they were holding their breaths. And with one shout, the boy let out a flurry of attacks.

"Limit Break!"

Nina was slashed countless times and fell to the floor with her sword by her side. She felt each strike growing heavier and it was only natural that her guard would break.

"Ow…" was the only word she can let out rubbing her sorry butt that had suffered the impact of the floor. "That was more painful than I thought"

Jack laughed. "Sorry Nina. I guess I overdid it. Look. Even my sword couldn't even handle it" he gestured to the wooden dummy sword that broke in two upon impact.

But Nina wasn't mad. Just the opposite. "You really are different, Jack. You really have to teach me more of those moves. It's been awhile since I had a worthy sparring partner. None of these losers can compare to you" the knights who were present and watching their spar just a minute ago groaned in silence. "Ow… that really hurt my back even it was just a practice match. You really live up your reputation as a knight"

"I'll take that as a compliment" Jack gave a thumbs up tossing his wooden blade away. "But doing that last move took a lot out of me. I'm still feeling the aches on my arms. Talk about your early afternoon pain"

Nina giggled at his painful grunts. "Hey, tomorrow. Why don't we spar again? If both of us are to get stronger we need to keep on practicing"

"Sure I'm good for that. After my mission maybe we can… huh?" Jack looked towards the door seeing a yellow color flash before his eyes.

"What is it?"

"I thought I just saw Ridley a minute ago" he quirked a brow looking at the doorway but waved it off thinking that his fatigue was just playing tricks on him. "Oh well. I gotta head back now. I'll see ya again same time?"

"Definitely! And be sure to bring your A-Game cuz next time I'll kick your butt"

"Yeah yeah, sure" Jack waved off and made his way out not noticing the yellow pigtailed teen hiding in the corridor.

"What the heck am I doing?" Ridley said to herself before coming out of hiding only to see the boy walk off towards the holding cell room down below. "I shouldn't be hiding like this"

** (Hours later)**

Jack took the rest of the afternoon wandering the castle talking with some of the guards and knights along the way. He made his way to the prison cell later that evening when he heard a sudden commotion happening from one of the cell guards that went to get help. He then remembered that he was there during his past life when he first heard of the disease called Algandars. Taking matters into his own hands and following the trails of his past self he quickly got to the holding cell where his old acquaintance, Patrick was holding the door to one of the cells.

"Hey old man" Jack called out. "Got a problem there?"

"Stay back kid!" the scarred soldier warned him. "This is a serious matter. We got a jail watcher here that's gone nuts!"

"Gone nuts?"

"He wasn't always like this. Usually he just follows me around… quiet as a mouse. Now he's all wild like someone flipped a switch or something!"

Jack could hear the loud bantering of a madman behind the door and it sounded a lot like an animal that wanted to bite something just for fun. "Looks like that guy won't stop until someone puts him out"

"I already sent out for help so just stay there while I deal with this kid"

"Hey don't judge me just because I'm smaller than you" Jack replied irritated. He quickly grabbed an empty bucket by the door and prepared to strike. "Ok open it up. I'll handle it from here. (What?) Just trust me. I've seen someone do this a couple of times and it works"

"Kid. You've got to be out of your mind. He's a wild man in there. He'll tear you to pieces"

"Only one way to find out" His cocky grin appeared once again which seemed to bewildered the man even more. After the count of three he opened the door up and let the wild man inside jump off and got himself whacked by the bucket. "And another one kicks the bucket" Jack stated triumphantly looking at his opponent fainted on the floor. "I guess for a small guy, a whack on the head still works eh?"

Patrick saw this and checked that his friend was still breathing. "That's pretty impressive kid. Knocking a guy like on his shoulder without hurting him… well… at least not too much. I hope he doesn't feel it when he wakes up"

"Just don't tell him I was the one who did it" Jack replied tossing the bucket away. "I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end when he gets better"

A few minutes later, Dynas, the General of the Radiatan Knights appeared to inspect the body. He was indeed impressed with Jack's quick thinking and complimented him on a job well done before taking the infected victim away.

After that little incident the boy returned to his room only to find it abandoned. "Hey… I wonder where pops went. He's usually in the room" He then noticed that the gift he got from the shop earlier was gone from the table. "Aha… I bet he's out trying to win Natalie's love again. That's Leonard for you. Good luck pops… you'll be needing it hehehehe"

But just s the boy got on his bed he felt a pair of small slender hands wrapping around his neck. "Boo!" Jack flipped and tumbled to the floor. "Ahahaha! What's up Jackie?"

"Etha?" Jack recognized the pale skinned girl with her ember eyes and silver hair. "Wh… what are you doing here? I thought I told you to wait for me?"

"I did" came her innocent reply. "But I got bored so I snuck in and see how you were doing. I see you got some of your old strength back. How's it feel to be a lifetime younger? Doesn't feel that different, does it? Trust me… I should know. I've practically lived a million years"

"Judging from your behavior and personality you don't seem older than ten years"

"Oh wow… now that's the first compliment I had in millenniums" Etha beamed with glee. "Anyway, are you feeling any different now? (Huh?) After seeing you spar with your lady friend earlier I thought you might feel a bit stronger than before. Haven't you noticed… or is the legend of your thickheaded brain, true?"

"Hey!" Jack groaned before thinking awhile back. "But now that I've thought about it. I have been getting stronger a lot faster than usual. It's like every time I swung my sword my strikes just kept going faster and harder. Even right now my body feels like its popping"

"Well that's good" Etha showed out a toothy grin to her champion. "I guess the Tri-Emblem I gave you is working after all"

The young dragon warrior looked back puzzled. "Tri-Emblem? What's that?"

"Take off your shirt. (What? No!) Oh don't be a baby and take it off" Jack hesitantly obeyed and removed his upper shirt. It was rather embarrassing having someone watch his body especially when it's a girl. The boy scanned his body and began to see muscles in places. His stomach also seemed to have bore four packs that could crack a nut open. "Well well… would you look at that. Now since when did you follow, Hercules? (Who?) Someone I dated back in the days. But I have to admit that your body seemed to have adapted to my powers faster than I expected"

"Wait… what power?" Jack questioned only to have it answered with the girl touching his bare chest with her finger. The touch then revealed a strange tattooed rune on his chest. "Whoa what the?"

"Yup… it's already on the fourth level. A little bit more and you'll be as strong as Sparticus or Achilles. (Who?) Some other guys I dated. I was a sucker for men with muscles"

"Hey hold on a second!" Jack put his feet down earning a 'what's your problem look' from his contractor. "When did you give this to me? I don't remember getting a tattoo!"

"Why the other night back at your place, silly" came her childish and oh so not innocently reply. "You didn't think I'd play with your poor little body just for fun" Jack grew a deep red blush which could be compared to Ridley's favorite blouse. "Ah well. Don't worry I didn't do anything that would upset you, trust me. But I gotta say that the humans in this time are much more fun than the others. They're more uptight about their belongings too. Check this out, I got this from this huge lipped lady yesterday. Doesn't it look cute?" she pulled out a large pearl from a box she stole from Anastasia. "Oh and I got a few rolls of these papers too" They were actually rolls of Dagol, money in this time.

Jack sighed at this. "Hey! You're not supposed to steal! It's a crime to do that!"

"Well I would've earned money the old fashion way if someone hadn't killed me" she glared back at him.

"Listen. I'll lend you some money but promise me that you'll return everything you stole back to their owners"

"And where the heck am I supposed to stay? Do you know I've been living around the city for two days after you abandoned me?"

"Yeah yeah, sorry" Jack mumbled. "Anyway. There's a place called Theater Vancoor. It's a guild for warriors. You'll see the sword sign a few kilometers off the castle. If you head east from there you'll see a bridge, there should be an empty house under it. Stay there for a few days and I'll come visit once my shift is done. Ok?"

"Fine. Maybe I'll find something better to do there"


End file.
